Octopath Traveler 2 showcases its strength in world-building through compelling environments coupled by gorgeous art direction. The setting of New Delsta City stands out as an apt example, whose slick city streets serve as an introduction to the thief character Throne.
New Delsta City is home to the Blacksnakes, a guild of thieves working under the city's shadows. It is here where Octopath Traveler 2's Throne fights for survival, operating under the guild's leaders without any freedom or autonomy for herself. Forced to kill or be killed, the character's despair feels anchored to the city, its environment acting as both a home and prison. From its grimy sewers to its sprawling estates, Octopath Traveler 2 sets up New Delsta in a way that feels both vast and contained, perfect as an introductory setting for the character.
The Lights of New Delsta City
Octopath Traveler 2's art direction helps with setting up New Delsta City in Throne's Chapter 1 introduction. From the particle effects that float along the screen as she traverses its streets, reminiscent of soot swirling in the air, to the flash of lightning against the window panes of the Diamante Estate, where Throne's adversary awaits on a rain-slicked balcony, the environment is built up perfectly in tune with the hardship and misfortune that surround her character. One of the first sights of the city's backstreets is a small cemetery, where an NPC overlooking its graves notes that "lives aren't worth much in this town." It's the perfect indication of Throne's predicament, a character who is stuck serving as a pawn to others no matter how much harm it brings to herself.
The city opens up through its separate areas, each bearing narrative significance in Throne's introduction. Her storyline is laced with action and despair from the start, an enticing quality for players just beginning Octopath Traveler 2. What starts as a bloody struggle through New Delsta's sewers during a job gone wrong quickly turns into something even more complicated. The chapter has Throne traversing the city's interiors to complete her work; from being punished for her failures in New Delsta's haze-filled game parlor to skirting past guards in a lavish mansion, the city serves as a grim backdrop to the never-ending struggle she's faced with.
As much as Throne wants to escape New Delsta, the city feels almost like an extension of her character. These qualities become even more apparent through Octopath Traveler 2's day-to-night cycle: with the lighting that pours from the city's windows, New Delsta comes more alive and dangerous in the dark, mirroring Throne's enhanced combat abilities as she fights enemies in the shadows. In the daytime, there's a softer side to the city, evident from the children playing along its streets, or the NPC that offers Throne some bread to eat. Octopath Traveler 2 builds up the setting in this small characterization, helping to make New Delsta feel more true to life.
Of Octopath Traveler 2's eight-character cast, Throne feels compelling not just through her personality and backstory, but through the environment of New Delsta itself. The city's inherent beauty and warmth manages to shine through her character, who seeks to lead a life free from the death and killing that plagues its streets. It leaves the impression that the city could be a beautiful place, if not for the Blacksnakes' control and villainy corrupting it. Serving as a backdrop that feels in tandem with the complexity of her character, New Delsta exemplifies the intricacies of Octopath Traveler 2's stories and characters, helping to build upon its world in a compelling way.
Octopath Traveler 2 is available now for the PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
